Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Macalester College 7, UW-Stout 6 |
Macalester College 4, Stout 1 |
Photo Gallery
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (March 27, 2013) - In their final games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for the season, the UW-Stout baseball team dropped a pair of games to the Macalaster College Scots, 7-6 and 4-1.
In the opener, Blue Devil starter
Dan Britts (Sr, Nekoosa) worked through two hits and an error in the first inning, striking out a pair of Scots and holding them to no runs.
Stout was nearly able to get on the board first, but
Ryan Gangestad (So, Maple Grove, Minn) was thrown out trying to score from second on a
Kasey Kruse (So, Menomonie) single.
A passed ball and two errors in the top of the second allowed the Scots to break the game wide open, as they were able to capitalize on the Blue Devils mistakes by putting five runs on the board.
After retiring the leadoff man, Britts gave up three consecutive singles, leading to the Scots first run. A passed ball quickly put two runners in scoring position and Scots rightfielder Sia took advantage, lacing a double to right-center field to put Macalaster up 3-0. A fielding error, followed by a single and a throwing error allowed the Scots to break the game wide open, tacking on two more runs for a 5-0 lead.
Offensively,
Mitch LaVelle (Fr, Chippewa Falls) got things started for the Blue Devils, doubling to right with one out in the third. LaVelle moved up on a fly ball to right and scored on a wild pitch shortly after.
Stout was able to get another in the fourth, after back-to-back singles by Kruse and
Matt Guida (Sr, Hawley, Minn) and an RBI groundout off the bat of
Colin Pechacek (So, River Falls).
The fifth went much the same for the Blue Devils, as consequtive singles by
Jake Lunow (So, Princeton) and LaVelle set up a sacrifice fly
Santiago Morales (Sr, West St. Paul, Minn), cutting the deficit to 5-3.
After the second inning, Britts settled into a groove allowing only one baserunner over the next three innings before running into trouble in the sixth. After walking the first two batters,
NIck Lamers (Fr, Freedom) came on to spell Britts. Two sacrifices and a passed ball led to two more runs for the Scots, putting them up 7-3.
The Blue Devils came back strong, as Guida led off the inning with a single.
Brett Vavra (So, Chippewa Falls), pinch-hitting for Pechacek, lined a double into the gap in right and a throwing error by the right fielder allowed Guida to score and put Vavra on third with no body out. Catcher
Jared Francois (Jr, Burlington) then lifted a fly ball to left, just deep enough for Vavra to tag and score on the sacrifice fly, cutting the Macalester lead to 7-5.
Two batters later, Lunow shot a single up the middle, then moved on to second after a passed ball. The very next batter,
Jackson Hallahan (Jr, Lester Prairie, Minn), lined a ball right off the pitcher into left field, scoring Lunow from second and putting the Blue Devils within one.
That would be as close as Stout would get, as the Blue Devils went quietly in the bottom of the seventh 1-2-3.
In game two, Stout was unable to get anything going offensively and a couple of costly errors led to a Macalaster sweep, with the Scots winning 4-1.
Macalester went ahead in the bottom of the second, thanks to four straight singles with one out. The Blue Devils were able to hold them to just one run though, as pitcher
Andrew Driessen (Sr, Champlin Park, Minn) got the next two batters to pop out and end the threat.
Both teams settled down after the second, combining for only three more hits until the bottom of the fifth. After retiring the leadoff man, Driessen allowed the next three runners to reach, hitting the first man then giving up a RBI double and a single to put runners on the corners with only one out, prompting a call from the bullpen as
Adam Widder (So, Wauwatosa) came on in relief.
Widder faced only two batters, walking them both and giving up another Macalester run.
Carter Vogt (Sr, Buffalo, Minn) came in to finish up the inning for Stout, getting a pair of pop-ups to end the rally.
Stout was able to finally push through a run in the top of the seventh, after Vavra reached and advanced to second on an error by the second basemen. A throwing error by the Scots third baseman allowed him to come around to score, but Macalester quickly closed out the game and preserved the 4-1 win.
Stout is scheduled to open their conference schedule, Wednesday, April 3 at UW-La Crosse, weather permitting.
